Inauguration Day

"And Jesus said unto them, ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marveled greatly at him.’" Mark 12:17 (American Standard Version)

Today, the United States inaugurates our 45^th President, President Barack Obama. For this day, put partisanship aside, and enjoy all the great blessings we have here, including the right to elect our leaders. The official theme for the 2013 inauguration is "Faith in America’s Future." President Obama will describe the image he holds that epitomizes that theme and I ask that we all do the same.

For a great majority of us, our faith in the country’s future will first embrace our faith in God. With a spirit of abundant generosity, we render unto our government the taxes that will pave our highways, protect us from those who would seek to harm us, and help those who are just awakening to a new awareness of the possibility of their own future. That, with help, they too can claim the promise of America: they can improve their lives with education, hard work, and paying forward the blessings they have received.

We will also give to God the things that are God’s. Our faith belongs to God; our loyalty belongs to God; our love belongs to God; and our soul belongs to God. When we are true to Him, we lift up our neighbors so they can be successful, and live honorably, and love the Lord God — for they will have seen His face in the acts we do and the words we use.

We are destroying this wonderful country by fighting to be the party who is the most generous. Generosity should wear no political pin. We can truly help others when there is no contest among us for the "Most Caring Award." Wouldn’t it be wonderful if blessings could flow from God and we made no claim to the generosity? We could bully people into giving away all that they have, and that would work only ONE TIME! Once we have given the oil from our lamps, the world will go dark. We can only give the light, so that the world will be lit with love and freedom for days and years to come. Let us all have Faith in the God who blessed this country with a unique mission: to open hope and possibilities to all those who will seize the opportunity, and work hard to make it happen. Glory be to God, for He has created a shining light for the whole world to see. If we extinguish the flame willingly, so as not to upset others and remain politically correct, the world may sink into darkness and remain there for a long time to come. Let us all renew our Faith in God who inspired, and continues to inspire, the foundations of our American Dream. Let us pray:

"Father God, holy and unspeakably precious is your name and the name of your son, Jesus. Please flood us once again with your light and love, so that your kingdom may be experienced here as it is in heaven. For this blessed day of Inauguration, we ask that your generosity reign above all petty differences. May we be wise enough to realize that we do not possess all your truth. We must open our ears to that piece of truth you have given others. May we all, every party, every faction of our society, open our hearts to you, that we may reveal your abundant generosity to others in a responsible way, so that we may be good stewards of what you have given us, while sharing it lovingly. Forgive us when we have arrogantly assumed that our knowledge is all the Truth there is. How can we possibly know all of your mind and heart? Each of us holds a tiny piece of you, and we can only know more of you when we listen to the heart of others. May this be the day when we rededicate our lives to you and the people around us whom you have given us to love and care for. In the name of Jesus Christ, your son and our redeemer, we pray. Amen"

Doris
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Copyright 2013 Doris Gaines Rapp

To have a glimpse at what our country may be like if our love of political correctness continues to the extreme, read "Length of Days—the Age of Silence" - available as an ebook at
www.amazon.com  and www.bn.com

To realize more clearly the blessings American have, Read "Holding on to Sand—From the Interactive Journal of James Rapp" - available as an ebook at www.bn.com and www.amazon.com